Journal Swimmer of the Year

Jefferson's Luisa Holland

March 18, 2013

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION - The recently completed swim season was an emotional one for Luisa Holland.

The Jefferson senior was sad because it was her final year of swimming for the Cougars, and there was frustration for not performing as well individually, especially in the state meet.

Despite both, one emotion remained a constant for Holland.

Article Photos

Jefferson swimmer Luisa Holland has been named The Journal’s 2012-2013 Girls Swimmer of the Year after leading the Cougars. (Journal Photo by Ron Agnir)

Holland, who won regional championships in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke and finished seventh and eighth in the state, respectively, cried tears of joy for a bigger accomplishment in being named The Journal's 2012-13 Girls Swimmer of the Year.

"I started bawling my eyes out when I heard that we had won the regional championship," Holland said of the awards ceremony inside Shepherd University's Wellness Center Feb. 9. "As a team, we had worked toward this point for four years in battling with Fairmont Senior.

"Once I found out that we had accomplished it, it had meant the world to me."

Holland was not only shocked with the final result of the regional meet, but also the result of the 200 free relay against Hedgesville, anchored by fellow All-Area first-teamer Courtney Layhew.

"I still can't believe that result to this day," Holland said. "I really thought we had lost that race, but then I saw a '1' next to the Jefferson on the board as well.

"Those girls we were up against are talented, and we have gotten close over the last three years, and I couldn't even be upset about it because I had never had a relay tie like that before."

Holland not only showed her strengths in the pool as an individual, but also outside the pool as a team leader and captain.

"I have seen all of the freshmen grow in just this one year that I did have with them," Holland said. "Even the juniors, who will now be upcoming seniors, have shown growth.

"I will be excited to hear about how this team is doing after I am gone."

One freshman that Luisa got to see develop as a swimmer was her younger sister, Mia, who received an honorable mention in her first season as a high school swimmer.

"Mia definitely had to take a few for the team," Luisa said. "I had to do the same thing in swimming what was needed -the 50 and 100 free - which I did not like."

Upon graduation, Holland will not swim collegiately, opting to become an officer at the Naval Academy studying Arabic and information technology, with plans to work in counter-terrorism intelligence.

"This year is my last year of swimming competitively, but I was offered a chance to walk on to their swimming program," Holland said. "The stress of competitive swimming on top of what I am going to go through in training as an officer for the Navy just was not appealing at all.

"I won't have the opportunity that others who will swim in college will have, but this season meant a lot to me. I could not have ended my swimming career in a better way."